Seven rookies in Vics' JLT Cup squad

White to lead an inexperienced team packed full of potential in this summer's domestic 50-over tournament

Sam Ferris
20 September 2017

No less than seven players could make their 50-over debut for Victoria this summer after the Bushrangers named their 14-man squad for the JLT One-Day Cup on Wednesday.

With national duties making four of their certain starters unavailable for selection – Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Handscomb and Dan Christian – the Commonwealth Bank Victorian Bushrangers have packed their squad with potential stars of the future.

Agar, younger brother of Australia allrounder Ashton, represented South Australia last year in the one-day tournament, while Gotch, Harper and Short have played for the Cricket Australia XI in this tournament, and Pucovski has one List A match to his name, having also represented a CA XI against the Pakistanis in January.

James Pattinson, who continues to recover from a back issue, is expected to play a role at some stage in the tournament, much like Mitchell Starc for NSW.

“It’s a much younger side this year than what we’ve previously taken, but we have great confidence in the squad as a whole,” said Victorian chairman of selectors Andrew Lynch.

“The skills of the players we’ve selected cover all aspects of the 50-over game. We have plenty of pace options with Peter Siddle, Chris Tremain and Scott Boland all fit and available, and Jon Holland is our full-time spin option.

“Cameron White and Marcus Harris were very successful as our openers early in the tournament last year, and to have John Hastings recover from his injury in time for the tournament is also a great result for us. He’s shown in the past how damaging he can be with both the bat and ball.

“We’ve worked hard in the off-season to prepare for this tournament. We’ve set ourselves a target to perform well next month – and make an impact on a tournament we’ve fallen a little short in recent seasons.

“It’s a competitive environment which not only provides a great opportunity for some young players to step up, but also to learn from the senior players around them who will certainly lead from the front.”